Thunder: Half-God, Half-Canadian, All New

Thunder… yeah just that title doesn’t turn many heads. I’m not quite sure if the “Half Norse God, Half Canadian, Super Polite” subtitle does any better. But at least the content’s context gets better thanks to presentation. I mean, while the first impression’s shaky, there is something compelling going on in this Canadian indie comic. So on request of Canadian Comic Book Alliance member Two Gargoyles Comics, here’s our review.

Who Is Thunder?

Devon Wells doesn’t seem to be the most remarkable person, in fact the reader doesn’t know much about his civilian life. What they do get is a glimpse of a gentle soul dealing with some issues. Devon is grappling with his identity, being the son of a less than nurturing father like Thor can do that. Even Devon’s title is a way of distancing himself from this All-Father; Odinson this Thor was not. Plus you gotta find amusement in how Icelandic language names with the slightest change can mean a lot; Torben “Little Thor” changes to Torden “Thunder”. Because going further into Devon’s psyche is a lot of guilt and trauma from slaying the All-Father. Which is really saying something as his decision to become a superhero isn’t to separate himself from Asgard or find redemption, Devon just wants to do good.

Is Politeness Too Canadian?

One thing I like about this series is despite the covers and tagline, it’s Canadian without beating it over people’s heads. While Devon has a lot to be sorry about with killing Thor, his heroics are from a good place. Sure he’s willing to fight against people like Templar who’s a villain for villainy’s sake, but Devon’s not violent. When looking at his interactions with Code Monkey, Thunder lends an ear to someone who never got help. Considering Devon visits a therapist, he already makes leaps above the mainstream depictions’ of mental health treatment.

Or Does It Make Them Godlike?

So with somebody so aspirational, the themes of being a paragon and a champion come up. Hero worship is a topic of interest in psychology as heroes are a part of culture. Code Monkey a.k.a. Glenn for example becomes driven by a need to follow Devon. While Glenn insists he just wants to become Devon’s sidekick, the way he stalks Devon back to his house says something else. But the mysterious Korun sees this as a good thing; probably because it powers up Thunder. Why? Because now that Devon is inspiring people, he has to fight other demigods. And if he doesn’t the world gets destroyed, you know superhero crossover event stuff. You’ve gotta give Michael McAdam credit for writing this up.

Art Brings The Thunder!

Doing the art duties on Thunder are brothers Mark and Marvin Marvida, who have a pretty impressive bibliography. I really should look at Delta Dogs after backing the Kickstarter for its first major arc. Why; because the Marvida’s art is really good. Not only are the designs, coloring, and shading really impressive, their panel presentation is really something. From how the characters interact with changing expressions to a demonstration of how Glenn can see Devon as his alter-ego when others can’t, it’s some really memorable setups.

Lightning Strikes!

With a Kickstarter on the horizon for its third issue, now’s a good time to check out a pretty cool superhero epic. The characters are pretty compelling with their arcs, especially how their interactions set up something bigger. Not to mention the art presents those instances in some eye-catching detail. Besides you gotta love how a creator tries to increase awareness on Canadian comics. I mean aside from the Comic House, the only other productions I could find were fellow CCBA alumni Jeff Martin. In any case Thunder as a whole gets 8.5/10.